SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Determine eligibility of persons applying to receive assistance from government programs and agency resources, such as welfare, unemployment benefits, social security, and public housing.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 43-4061.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $38,900 | $3,242 | $748 | $18.70 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $45,910 | $3,826 | $883 | $22.07 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $54,210 | $4,518 | $1,042 | $26.06 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $63,610 | $5,301 | $1,223 | $30.58 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $74,690 | $6,224 | $1,436 | $35.91 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs is $54,210, which is 6% higher. Among the 54 occupations of the field Office and Administrative Support, it ranks number 12 by median pay. With 154,800 jobs, it makes up about 10.0 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs pay by state
The highest median pay was in District of Columbia ($74,080), Connecticut ($71,940) and Michigan ($66,830). The lowest was in Mississippi ($36,840), Florida ($37,230) and Virgin Islands ($38,060). The most jobs were in California (30,960), Texas (12,020) and Pennsylvania (10,280). The occupation is most concentrated in Puerto Rico, where its share of all jobs is 3.9 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 640 | $74,080 | $74,940 | $35.61 |
| Connecticut | 1,250 | $71,940 | $68,410 | $34.59 |
| Michigan | 5,060 | $66,830 | $63,960 | $32.13 |
| Washington | 3,880 | $66,330 | $65,660 | $31.89 |
| Massachusetts | 1,700 | $64,750 | $63,090 | $31.13 |
| Rhode Island | 570 | $64,560 | $64,200 | $31.04 |
| California | 30,960 | $63,520 | $64,690 | $30.54 |
| Minnesota | 2,910 | $62,820 | $64,050 | $30.20 |
| Alaska | 400 | $61,840 | $63,160 | $29.73 |
| Illinois | 1,740 | $61,840 | $62,740 | $29.73 |
| Iowa | 1,040 | $61,340 | $60,860 | $29.49 |
| Montana | 550 | $59,180 | $56,800 | $28.45 |
| Pennsylvania | 10,280 | $59,070 | $60,020 | $28.40 |
| Colorado | 3,140 | $58,750 | $58,550 | $28.25 |
| Vermont | 310 | $58,530 | $59,110 | $28.14 |
| New Hampshire | 240 | $57,300 | $57,590 | $27.55 |
| Maryland | 3,710 | $57,160 | $59,740 | $27.48 |
| Oregon | 1,740 | $55,660 | $57,000 | $26.76 |
| Nevada | not published | $55,160 | $57,420 | $26.52 |
| Hawaii | 610 | $54,970 | $57,090 | $26.43 |
| Alabama | 2,720 | $54,040 | $52,980 | $25.98 |
| New York | 10,220 | $53,430 | $58,560 | $25.69 |
| New Mexico | 790 | $53,000 | $54,640 | $25.48 |
| Utah | 1,960 | $52,790 | $53,940 | $25.38 |
| Idaho | 240 | $52,670 | $53,110 | $25.32 |
| South Dakota | 470 | $52,350 | $50,760 | $25.17 |
| Kentucky | 1,710 | $52,020 | $56,230 | $25.01 |
| North Dakota | 410 | $51,810 | $53,440 | $24.91 |
| Wisconsin | 1,610 | $51,480 | $54,750 | $24.75 |
| New Jersey | 920 | $51,380 | $55,020 | $24.70 |
| Virginia | 4,290 | $50,960 | $54,340 | $24.50 |
| Maine | 620 | $50,860 | $50,780 | $24.45 |
| Nebraska | 220 | $50,320 | $53,190 | $24.19 |
| Ohio | 4,300 | $50,070 | $53,640 | $24.07 |
| Kansas | 810 | $49,650 | $51,330 | $23.87 |
| Tennessee | 4,060 | $49,230 | $50,170 | $23.67 |
| Oklahoma | 520 | $49,090 | $51,800 | $23.60 |
| Louisiana | 740 | $48,260 | $49,170 | $23.20 |
| North Carolina | 7,740 | $47,350 | $47,350 | $22.76 |
| Texas | 12,020 | $46,860 | $49,400 | $22.53 |
| Arkansas | 610 | $45,340 | $45,530 | $21.80 |
| Puerto Rico | 3,660 | $44,950 | $46,440 | $21.61 |
| Georgia | 6,120 | $44,620 | $47,620 | $21.45 |
| West Virginia | 250 | $44,150 | $46,670 | $21.22 |
| Delaware | 120 | $42,900 | $45,140 | $20.63 |
| Missouri | 4,130 | $42,850 | $48,970 | $20.60 |
| Arizona | 3,440 | $41,690 | $45,710 | $20.05 |
| Indiana | 3,000 | $40,160 | $42,320 | $19.31 |
| Guam | 50 | $39,970 | $40,870 | $19.22 |
| South Carolina | 1,750 | $38,670 | $42,230 | $18.59 |
| Virgin Islands | 70 | $38,060 | $39,250 | $18.30 |
| Florida | 5,880 | $37,230 | $43,850 | $17.90 |
| Mississippi | 1,760 | $36,840 | $39,750 | $17.71 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$55,570 a year
- Desktop Publishers$55,290 a year
- Communications Equipment Operators, All Other$54,680 a year
- Financial Clerks, All Other$53,830 a year
- Public Safety Telecommunicators$53,040 a year
- Cargo and Freight Agents$52,260 a year
Common questions
How much do Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs earn in the United States?
The median pay was $54,210 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,900 and the highest-paid 10% more than $74,690.
How many people work as Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs?
About 154,800 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.